Earth roller



Nov. 4, 1941. Q N. E. WOLFARD 2,251,893

- EARTH ROLLER Filed Nov. 27, .1939

Patented Nov. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE nan'rn nouns. NoahEllsworth Woli'ard, Norman, Okla.

Application November :7, 1939, Serial No. 308,351

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 9

This invention relates to an improvement in earth rolling and packingdevices.

It is the chief object of the invention to provide a device of thisclass which willcompact earth, crushed stone, gravel, and numerous othermaterials of construction in their natural or artificial combination, orin combination with other industrial products, without causing bridgingof the material being compacted. It is particularly eiiicient in theconstruction of roads, dams, levees, airport runways and the like. It isso constructed that it exerts a rolling-shifting action on the materialbeing compacted, thus practically eliminating voids in freshly laidmaterial.

The details in the construction of a preferred placed within thecylinder to increase the weigh of the roller if desired.

One cylinder head B carries a sprocket, as shown clearly inFigure 1, fordriving a scraper C. Both cylinder heads B carry aligned bearing axles Dwhich respectively support and are Jour- The scraper C consists of ashaft on which a plurality of radially projecting prongs c are carriedin helical arrangement. One end of this form of my invention, togetherwith other obiects attending its production, will be better understoodfrom the following description when read in connection with theaccompanying drawing, which is chosen for illustrative purposes only,and in which,

Figure l is an oblique view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of a scraper, which is a part of the embodimentillustrated in'Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a plan view of two of my earth rollers hooked in tandem withother earth compacting devices, and illustrates particularly a preferredmanner of using myinvention.

Tlie embodiment illustrated includes a roller, designated as a whole bythe letter A, andmade up of a cylinder, preferably hollow, which rigidlycarries on its exterior surface multiple helical. ribs 11 of suitablerise and face width, the troughs in such ratio that the prongs of thescraper will 1 mesh with the ribs of the roller as the roller parallelcompaction lines which lie at an angle f to the direction of tr av'el ofthe roller, and two such rollers, having their ribs running in oppositedirections as illustrated in Figure 3, will form a diamond shapedpattern with the points of the diamonds in substantial alignment withthe direction of travel.

The respective ends of the cylinder are prefershaft also carries asecond and smaller sprocket G of such diameter with relation to thefirst mentioned sprocket, that when the two are operably connectedtogether by a chain, as shown in Figure 1, and the roller A is pulledover the ground, the scraper shaft will be rotated at such a speed thatthe prongs 0 will mesh with the helical ribs a on the roller. Prongs arepreferably positioned to present the pattern of a right cross, as shownby the end view in Figure 2'. In cross section, the prongs c arepreferably but not necessarily hyperbolic.

While I have described and illustrated a specific' embodiment of myinvention I am aware that it may be embodied in other forms and I do notwish to be limited except by the prior art and by the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. An earth compactingdevice comprising: a frame; a roller journaied insaid frame; helical ribs on the surface of said roller; a scraperrotatably mounted on said frame parallel with said roller; a. pluralitypf outwardly projecting'prongs helically arranged on said scraper andadapted to intermesh with the ribs on said roller as it travels alongthe ground; and driving means operably connecting said roller with saidscraper travels along the ground, the prongs of the sc raper thuscleaningthe space between the ribs of the roller. v v

2. An earth compacting device comprising: a cylindrical roller having aplurality of spaced ribs extending around its rolling surface; a scraperaxle having a plurality of similarly spaced outwardly projecting'prongsthereon; a frame in which said roller and said scraper a re rotatablymounted with their rotat a1 axes in parallelrelation and in such pro '2ity that said Water, sand, or other material may thus be prongs 'meshbetween said ribs; and driving .means operably connecting said rollerwith said scraper axle for driving the latteras the formeris rotated.

3. An earth compacting device comprising: a cylindrical roller having aplurality of spaced ribs extending around its rolling surface; a scraperaxle having a plurality of similarly spaced outwardly projecting prongsthereon. a frame in which vsaid roller and said scraper re rotatablydevice.

' NOAH ELLSWORTH WOLFARD.

